Electrical outlet fitting



Sepfi. 26, 1933. PR PP 1,928,605

ELECTRICAL OUTLET FITTING Filed Sept. 1, 1927 INVENTOR BY TTORNEY aiented Sept- 1933 ELECTRICAL OUTLET FITTING Louis Propp, New York,

N. Y., assignor to The M.

Propp Co. Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 1, 1927. Serial No. 216,836

11 Claims.

This invention relates to electric outlet sockets.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide an improved electric outlet socket of the character and for the purpose described, which shall be neat, compact, and rigid in construction, comprise few and simple parts, adapted to be readily assembled, and quickly and easily installed with ordinary mechanical skill, shall be comparatively cheap to manufacture, and practical and eihcient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one -of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of alighting system employing electric outlet sockets embodying the invention, the cap of one of said sockets being removed to show the connection of the socket terminals to the conductor wires;

Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views taken on lines 22 and 3-3 respectively in Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 and 5 are top plan and side elevational views, respectively, of the housing for the screw shell contact; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the screw shell contact.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 10 denotes an electric outlet socket embodying the invention which is here seen to comprise a housing 11, and a cap 12 fitted over the top side 11a of the housing for enclosing the connections of terminal pieces 13 and 14 to bared portions 15a and 15b of conductor wires 15.

The housing 11 and cap 12 are preferably made of a molded insulating material such as porcelain, or phenol-condensate products. Said housing is formed with a receptacle portion 11b into which may be moulded, shrunk, or otherwise seated the screw shell contact 16, adapted to receive the standard size base of a lamp or the plug end of a branch circuit (not shown) in the well understood manner. The nub 116 formed on the lower side of end wall 11d of the recepside 11a of the housing receives the terminal piece 13 thereby retaining the shell contact positioned in the housing in cases where the contact is not molded therein. Said terminal piece projects beyond end wall 11d and is offset to lie in the path of a bared wire portion 15a an to be received in a suitably shaped recess 11 provided in the top side 11a as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the walls of said depression serving to retain the terminal portion 13 against sidewise movement.

The outer or receiving end of the shell contact 16 preferably has its lower end spaced a distance from the rim of the open end of the receptacle portion III), the inner rim portion of the latter being flared as at 11h to facilitate the insertion and connection of a lamp base or plug into the socket.

and is seen to comprise a screw extending in axial relation with respect to the screw contact shell 16 through the end wall 11d and nub 11c. Said screw has its head 17a projecting within said shell contact and is insulated therefrom by the nub 11c formed on wall 11d (see Figs. 2 and 3). The end 1712 of the screw 17 threadedly engages the terminal piece 14 held positioned in a suitable recess 11 in the top side 11a as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, said terminal piece lying in the path of the bared wire portion 15b.

The conductor wires 15 rest in spaced grooves 119 which extend substantially at right angles with respect to the recesses 111' and 11], the bare portions 15a and 15b being connected to the terminal pieces 13 and 14, respectively, in any suitable manner, as by soldering.

For securing the cap 12 to the housing, a nut or threaded bushing 18 is secured in cap 12, as by being molded or shrunk thereinto so that its entire surface is insulated except that surface on the lower side of cap 12. Said nut is then threaded down on screw 17 to positively seat the cap 12 on the housing and form a complete covering over the current carrying portions therein, eliminating the usual requirement for sealing or otherwise shielding exposed live parts. The cap 12 is made with an annual flange 121) on the lower side thereof, said flange being undercut as at 122 to provide a drip edge 12). The said edge 12 is made sufiiciently large to extend around the upwardly extending flange at the top of the housing 11 to serve as means for deflecting moisture or rain from entering the socket. Said drip edge also acts to clamp the conductor wires 15 in the grooves when the cap is tightly A central contact 17 is providedfor the socket,

, secured on the housing, thereby forming a strain relief for the connections of the bared wire portions 15a and 15b with the terminal pieces 13 and 14.

As will now be apparent, the installation of the improved socket 10 is a comparatively simple matter. Where shell 16 has not been molded into the housing 11 during the manufacture of said housing, the said shell is first shrunk or slipped into the receptacle portion 11b with terminal piece 13 extending through passage 110. Piece 13 is then bent to seat properly in recess 117'. Terminal piece 14 is now properly seated in recess 11 after which contact 17 is passed up through nub 11c to threadedly secure piece 14 to the housing. Now the conductor wires 15 are placed in the grooves 119 with the bared portions 150 and 15b extended over the terminal pieces 13 and 14, respectively. Said portions are then soldered to their respective pieces, after which the cap 12 is applied over the housing by threadedly engaging bushing 18 with the threaded end of contact 1'7 and rotating the cap till it firmly secures the socket to the conductor wires, as shown in Figs; 1, 2 and 3.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An electric outlet socket of the character described comprising an insulating housing having a cylindrical receptacle portion formed in one end thereof, the other end of said housing being formed with a wall having spaced grooves adapted to receive conductor wires, an axial perforation and a through slot opening into one of said grooves, said wall being formed with a recess adjacent said slot, a screw contact shell retained within said receptacle portion, an extension from said shell projecting through said slot and into one of said grooves and bent into said recess to form a terminal piece for the socket.

2. In an electric outlet socket of the character described, a screw contact shell for said socket, an insulating housing for said shell, said housing having an end wall formed with a slot therethru and a recess afiacent said slot, said shell having an integral portion extending through said slot and bent to lie in said recess to form a terminal piece, a central contact member for said socket having one end extending into said shell and insulated therefrom, the other end of said member projecting through said end wall, and an imperforate insulating cap completely covering said piece and the projecting end of said member and engaging the latter.

3. An electric outlet socket of the character described comprising an insulating housing having a cylindrical receptacle portion formed in one end thereof, the other end of said housing being formed with a wall formed with an axial perforation and a through slot, a screw contact shell retained within said receptacle portion, an extension from said shell projecting through said slot forming a terminal piece for the socket, an imperforate insulating cap for said housing, a

central contact member passing through the perforation and having one end within the shell the underside only of the cap being recessed for receiving the other end of said central contact, said latter end being completely embedded in the cap, a pair of conductor wires extending between said wall and cap, said wall having a recess adjacent said central contact and a connector extending into said recess connecting one of said wires with said contact, said extension being adapted for direct connection to said other wire.

4. In combination, an electrical outlet socket comprising an insulating housing having a receptacle portion, a screw shell received in said portion, said housing being formed with an end wall for said receptacle portion, an axial screw threaded member attached to said end wall, an insulating cap having a screw threaded adjustable engagement with the outer end of said screw threaded member, a pair of conductor wires disposed between said end wall and cap, current carrying parts disposed between said cap and end wall connecting said screw shell and screw threaded member with said wires, said end cap being adapted to slidably engage said wires and clamp the same to said housing upon rotating said cap to screw said cap onto said screw threaded member.

5. In an electric outlet socket, in combination, an insulating housing having a receptacle portion and an end wall, a screw shell received within said receptacle portion, said end wall having spaced grooves on the outer side thereof adapted to receive conductor wires, a screw threaded member extending through, and attached to, said end wall and having a portion forming the central contact for said screw shell, an insulating end cap having a screw threaded adjustable engagement with said screw threaded member, current carrying parts disposed between said cap and end wall connecting said shell and screw threaded member to said wires, said cap being formed with an integral cylindrical flange at the periphery thereof receiving and extending concentrically about said end wall to form a shield for said current carrying parts, the rim of said flange being adapted to slidably contact and clamp said wires to said housing, upon screwing the cap onto said screw threaded member.

6. In combination, an electrical outlet socket comprising a tubular insulating housing having an end wall, a screw shell extending into said housing, an imperforate insulating cap overlying said end wall, a screw member screwed to said end wall, the head of said screw forming the central contact for said socket, a pair of conductor wires interposed between said housing and cap, means for connecting said wires to said screw and shell, said cap having a recess on the underside only thereof, threaded means extending into said recess and fixed to said cap having screw engagement with the end of said screw to demountably secure said cap to said housing, said cap having a circular portion adapted to slidably contact said conductor wires and press said wires against said housing as said cap is screwed to said screw.

7. An electric outlet socket comprising a tubular insulating housing having an end wall, a screw shell extending into one end of said housing, and an insulating cap overlying said end wall, the outer face of said end wall being f0Ifl8d with grooves adapted to receive conductor wires, an axial screw extending through said end wall, the head of said screw forming the central contact for said socket, means for connecting said screw and shell to said wires, said cap having threaded means extending only partially through the inner face thereof for engaging the end of said screw to demountably secure the cap to the housing, said cap being formed with an integral cylindrical flange receiving a portion of said housing therein and overlapping the ends of said grooves, and said flange having a circular rim edge adapted to engage said wires upon screwing the cap to said screw.

8. In combination, an electrical outlet fitting comprising an insulating housing having an end wall, a cap for said housing overlying said end wall, a pair of conductor wires received between and contacting said cap and housing, said end wall having an axial perforation, and a through opening parallel to said perforation, a screw shell within said housing, a current carrying member extending through saidopening adapted to interconnect said shell with one of said wires, a screw member within said perforation having a head forming a central contact for said shell, said cap comprising a one piece imperforate in sulating member formed with a screw threaded opening on the inner face only thereof for threadedly engaging the end portion of said screw whereby said cap may be screwed into contact with said wires for pressing said wires against said housing.

9. In combination, an electric outlet fitting comprising an insulating housing provided with an end wall, a cap for said housing overlying said end wall, a pair of conductor wires received between and contacting said wall and cap, said wall having an axial perforation and a. through opening parallel to said perforation, a screw shell within said housing, a current carrying member extending through said opening adapted to interconnect said shell with one of said wires, a screw within said perforation having a head forming a central contact for said shell, said cap having a screw threaded opening on the underside only thereof for threadedly engaging the end portion of said screw and being adapted to engage said wires upon turning said cap to screw the same to the upper end of said screw, and a connector attached to said screw adapted to connect the same with the other of said wires, said wall having a recess for receiving said connector.

10. An electric lamp socket comprising a tubular insulating housing having an end wall at one end thereof and provided with lamp engaging contacts received within said housing, screw threaded means extending outwardly from said end wall, an insulating cap having screw threaded engagement with said screw threaded means, a pair of conductor wires disposed between said end wall and cap and electrically connected to said contacts, said end cap overlying said end wall and slidably engaging said wires thereby to clamp the same to said housing upon rotating said cap to screw the same onto said screw threaded means.

11. A lamp socket comprising a body portion provided with lamp engaging contacts at one end thereof and at the other end with transverse grooves, a pair of conductor wires within said grooves electrically connected to said contacts, screw threaded means extending from said other end of said body portion, and a cap having screw threaded engagement with said screw threaded means, said cap and housing being arranged in overlapping relation whereby to press said wires within said grooves upon rotating said cap for screwing the same to said screw threaded means.

LOUIS PROPP. 

